Milwaukee’s IndyCar date is switching from June to August, and welcomes back an old friend as title sponsor.

ABC Supply Co., locally based in West Allis, will step up to sponsor the newly renamed ABC Supply Wisconsin 250, part of the Milwaukee IndyFest weekend, for the next two years.

In 2014, the date will be August 16-17, as part of a three-race culmination to the IndyCar season. West coast races in Sonoma and Fontana, Calif., will follow as the series seeks to end by Labor Day weekend.

The importance from a local standpoint is twofold: the race has a title sponsor for the first time since 2009, when ABC Supply Co. last sponsored the race (it did so from 2005 to 2009), and secondly, it will give the near-million Wisconsin State Fair patrons exposure to the event that will be occurring after the Fair ends.

“It’s important strategically,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., parent company of INDYCAR. “Following State Fair will give us a chance to tell the million or so people our race is coming up in a couple weeks. We think a unique feature of IndyCar is the diversity of our racing, different tracks, street, road, ovals and different kinds of ovals. We love the idea of having a historic oval as part of that. Eventually we’re looking at an oval, a street and a road course – our three major formats – at the end of the year.”

Indy Lights and Pro Mazda are also on the calendar, as they were this year. Tickets for the family-friendly weekend go on sale Nov. 13, available online at www.milwaukeeindyfest.com.

Milwaukee had been run on the Saturday of Father’s Day weekend in June 2012 and 2013 since Michael Andretti’s Andretti Sports Marketing group resuscitated the race from life support. Miles said in a later interview this afternoon that the June date would “maybe” have still been considered had the other ASM-promoted race, Baltimore, remained on the 2014 calendar in what would have been an earlier August date.

As for whether the week after the Indianapolis 500 was considered, Milwaukee’s old traditional date, Miles answered with a definitive “no” – that date is locked in Detroit for the foreseeable future.

Andretti said the bigger issue with Milwaukee the last two years was actually having it on Father’s Day weekend.

“It wasn’t the problem for our staff; we have two separate arms,” he explained. “It was a little bit of a challenge having the race on Father’s Day weekend. People have other family plans. So now it’s a real positive from the standpoint to be one of the last three races of the season.”

However for Andretti, it now provides a singular focus for the ASM promotional arm. The group is exploring other opportunities – either race or corporate-related – down the road to replace Baltimore.

“I wish we didn’t need a break!” he said, candidly. “For fans, appointment viewing is a big deal. If you know every week where to look, that’s a really good thing. But that’s impractical for our racing. There will be breaks. When you see the calendar, we’ve condensed our racing about to the point we can. The crews will get their necessary downtime.”

The other question, as always, is whether the dream of Road America will turn to reality. For now, it remains just that: a dream.

It’s definitively out for 2014 and possible, but still unlikely, in 2015. It remains the biggest pipe dream for IndyCar drivers, teams and fans, but will always be off the schedule so long as dates and sanctioning fees don’t work out – the last Champ Car race there was in 2007.

What it does present, however, is a Wisconsin doubleheader for fans of both road and oval racing in 2014. The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship races at Road America Sunday, August 10, with IndyCars on the historic Mile one week later.

And that, regardless of your preference of racing, is still something to celebrate.

Looks like a good date to me. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it.
I’m definitely glad IndyCar is keeping this oval for the time being.
It also looks like there will be just four ovals next year, which is better than none.

abc is the richest woman in Wisconsin. She is also known for not paying a dime in state income tax in years. She is using tax money she cheated out of the taxpayer to sponsor this race. She is shaking your hand and peeing on your shoe at the same time.